Besides the fact that it's about a guy trying not to have sex, there's not much difference between this and most of the sex comedies out there. That is, it's not particularly funny. But at least it's charming and relatively romantic. Trendy young San Francisco web designer Matt (Hartnett) is having so much trouble getting over his fiery ex-girlfriend (Shaw) that he vows to his trainee-priest brother (Trese) that he'll give up all sexual contact for lent. And he's serious. Soon his zany flatmate (Constanzo) gets his wacky coworkers to set up a wagering website. Then Matt meets the girl of his dreams (Sossamon). And his ex discovers that all this makes her want him back.

There's a tug-of-war going on here between goofy gross-out comedy and more sophisticated romance, and for the most part the smart and sensitive side wins us over. Fortunately, Hartnett plays it straight, bravely charging through the embarrassingly dumb scenes and making the most of the more intimate romantic sequences. The supporting cast is thoroughly entertaining, in a dumb movie sort of way. And Sossamon actually injects a spark of true lurve. Unfortunately, the film continually tries to undermine his efforts with lame jokes that are not funny, but try so hard it hurts. And there are some appalling plot turns that combine cliche with bad taste. Basically, this is just an above-average but formulaic rom-com spiced up with viagra and condom jokes.

adult themes and situations, language, vulgarity

3.Apr.02

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

"Another silly movie - but it shows that Josh Hartnett is not afraid to be silly. This young guy confesses his sins to his priest-wannabe brother, who is having his own failures but has to listen to his brother's weekly sexual conquests. He decides to go without sex for 40 days, because he has decided sex has screwed up his
Josh Hartnett relationships. His friends, of course, put it on the internet - and supposedly the whole world is betting on how long he will last. (Who really has time to find those websites? And who has time to even do them?) Anyway, it is good for a laugh or two, is quite silly, the whole movie is silly - but it also does not
seem to be trying to do anything else but entertain us - which it does. It is a fun movie - so go see it if you want to laugh." --Laurie T, Minneapolis 1.Apr.02

"Is anybody talking about the way this film ignored the fact that Matt (Harnett) was raped? Perfect opportunity to bring awarness to sexual abuse and men wasted on a lame ending. Film had so much potential...." --betheliza, net 17.Feb.03